peace and quiet at this comfortable, self catering cottage set in a private, "no children" garden with a pool
holiday accommodation for a couple to relax in peace and quiet, a pretty cottage with a private swimming pool set in a secluded hillside garden in the beautiful countryside of Andalucia, Spain
comfortable, high quality, self catering house to rent in a private, "no children" location just over an hour from Malaga airport
near to traditional villages and to Cordoba, Granada and Antequera for sightseeing
 

Photo gallery of a country cottage holiday in Andalucia, inland Spain

 

Our local area

 

Andalucian man washing at the natural springs in Fuentes de Cesna
Cheerful local at Fuentes de Cesna

Arroyo Morales, Algarinejo, Granada province, Spain
Arroyo Morales, Algarinejo

somewhere to sit in the shade and watch the world pass by on a relaxing holiday for a couple in Spain
Algarinejo village square, Plaza de Espana

for a self catering holiday in Spain, buy seasonal fruit and vegetables at Algarinejo market
Fresh fruit and vegetables at Algarinejo market

A couple can enjoy a quiet holiday in Spain amongst the olive trees cloaking the hills and valleys
Hills and valleys covered in olive trees with breathtaking views

Spring time brings wild flowers
Spring wild flowers cloak the hillsides

Lake Iznajar, Andalucia, Spain
Lake Iznajar, Andalucia, Spain

peace, quiet and fabulous views on holiday near Lake Iznajar, Andalucia
Iznajar Lake, Iznajar, Spain

Fiestas and Ferias

a not so quiet time on holiday, Andalucia Day in Rute, Spain
Flamenco dancing in Rute on Andalucia Day
flamenco in minature
Everyone gets to dress up on "Viva la Morenita" fiesta
weird fiesta outfit
Some Spanish people take fiestas seriously, others not so much....

Flamenco dancer
Flamenco "Sevillano" in Rute

singing in the street
Procession de las Flores, Rute
time to relax now that the fiesta is over for these little people...
The end of the fiesta, a tiring day in Priego de Cordoba

Sightseeing

 
Alhambra Palace, Granada, Spain
"Lion Fountain" at Alhambra Palace, Granada
a couple on a quiet holiday enjoying the sights
Couple (us!) enjoying the view at Alhambra Palace, Granada
holiday sightseeing for a couple at the magnificent Mezquita mosque and cathedral in Cordoba, Spain
Mezquita mosque, Cordoba
a traditional enclosed patio, Cordoba, Spain
Traditional Cordoba patio
the stunning Alcazar gardens in Cordoba, Spain
Alcazar gardens, Cordoba
"Los Patios" week in Cordoba, Spain is a riot of colour
Cordoba street during Los Patios week

water colour of Al-Queria and Cortijo La Charneca by Chris Ellis, a guest in 2010
water colour of Cortijo La Charneca and Al-Queria by a guest in 2010

Iznajar lake at the end of another perfect day.....
Sunset over Lake Iznajar

Our Gallery

Here are a few photos taken by us over the years which should give you a flavour of the area around Al-Queria cottage, the traditions and fiestas of the local people.

We have also included our photos of the impressive monuments and buildings in the nearby cities which can only really be done justice by a sightseeing visit when you are on holiday in Spain.

As stunning as the great heritage sites are, there are some equally interesting local places and buildings which reflect the history of this region and can be easily reached from our self catering , holiday cottage.

Andalus barrios which really show how the old settlements were constructed on Arabic lines with narrow, twisting streets giving plenty of shade and defence opportunities, hill forts and castles which controlled the surrounding land and strategic points, ermitas and churches to support the local people in their faith which still provides a structure to today's life.

Most villages have a "cofradia" or brotherhood, attached to the church and these brotherhoods not only organise the many religious processions and fiestas but also give help and support to the local people.

Some of the fiestas are grand affairs which involve the whole town or village whilst others are just very local to the chapel or church and celebrated in a quieter way.

Ferias or fairs, are held at various times of the year, usually in support of a saint's day and these can be very lively with music and sideshows going on until the early hours. The locals have centuries of practice at staying up to enjoy the fairs and newcomers and visitors have to stretch their stamina levels just to keep up....

The countryside surrounding Al-Queria self catering holiday cottage is given over almost exclusively to olive farming. These tough trees need little water, can grow in the poorest of soil, survive storms, snow, frosts and extreme heat and still give steadilty increasing crops over their considerable lifespan.

As most of the land here is mountainous, the trees grow in steep plantations and are tended by hand or machinery. The crop is picked between December and March and taken to the olive sorting stations, mills or co-operatives where it is processed into the best olive oil. In recent years, many mills and co-operatives have attained "Denominacion de Origen" for their oils, some of which are the finest in the world.

Rural life around Al-Queria cottage is reliant on olive farming and most people are either full-time farmers or have other jobs and just tend their olive trees at the weekend.

Our own olive trees are looked after by a local couple, Domingo and Loli, who are full-time farmers and still care for our land in the quiet, traditional way, by hand.

They put in a tremendous amount of hard work in return for the annual crop and we get some olive oil and a lot of firewood in exchange.

This is a good deal for us as it keeps our land tended properly, the trees producing their crop, two of our neighbours provided with a bit of extra income and it allows us a lot more time to look after our guests...

We even get to sit out in the sunshine occasionally....

Before we started living and working at the farm, we lived in a tiny house in the the old part of Ruté, a pueblo about 30 minutes drive away.

Our neighbours were extremely friendly and welcomed us without reservation. Some of their habits and ways amused us at first but after a while we came to understand just why local life followed the pattern that that it did.

Hot summer nights meant that you didn't go to bed but stayed up until 3:00am talking in the street, just to keep cool.

The following morning you would get up at 7:00am and start your day before it got too hot.

At 2:00pm it was too hot to work so you stopped for lunch for two or three hours and then, when the sun was casting longer shadows, you finished your day's work up until about 9:00pm.

The summertime habits are carried over into the cooler months except that much more manual work is carried out as it is physically more feasable.

In the mornings, the street was always alive with women cleaning and sweeping outside their front doors and we came to realise that this was not necessarily being "house proud" but rather an opportunity to gossip with the neighbours and anyone else that passed by.

Traditionally, local people get up, go to work and then stop for breakfast at about 10:30am. Lunch is from 2:00pm onwards and a later meal is taken at about 10:00pm. The pattern seems very logical as it allows one to digest each meal and then to "work it off".

The renowned Spanish lifestyle as portrayed by outsiders is in fact very hard working but with a twist...

The family is interwoven into Spanish life so that many working people return home to their families for lunch, they stay up with their children at night and visit relatives houses on an almost daily basis.

One of the pleasures of living here is to have lunch at a restaurant on a Sunday and observe the huge family gatherings which include several generations all at one table, all talking, all eating and all enjoying their own company.

All we can say is, "come and see it all for yourself"

Wendy and Steve Aucock look forward to meeting you

Holiday cottage with a private swimming pool in the country, close to villages and centrally located for sightseeing in Granada, Córdoba and all of inland Andalucia, Spain. Situated in the peace and quiet of a secluded garden surrounded by our own olive grove with views over hills and valleys, the self catering holiday accommodation is near to the beautiful Lake Iznájar. Our cottage has been restored in Al-Andaluz style with everything that a couple need to enjoy a relaxing, self-catering holiday away from the noise and chaos of the coastal holiday resorts. Our traditional local villages have tapas bars, restaurants, shops, places of interest and a relaxed, rural way of life. Al-Queria holiday cottage is just over an hour from Málaga airport. We provide a friendly and personal service to you but we will not intrude on your privacy so that you can really relax and enjoy your quiet holiday in Spain.